2018-19 COURSE CALENDAR
Master of Business Administration
WINTER January 7 to March 10, 2019
PROFESSOR: Dr. Bryan McCabe
This course will focus on the eight perspectives of transformational leadership in relationship to communities globally. Students will be introduced to concepts and topics related to urban leadership, as well as the philosophy and theological underpinnings for this field. Students will be provided with group experiences in order to develop a cohort community to ensure a strong support and accountability infrastructure for the entire program. Study tips and logistics will be reviewed.
PROFESSOR: Dr. Wayne Weathers
This course addresses issues that are at the heart of the crisis being experienced by virtually every global metropolis. It examines current theories of poverty, diversity, and social justice, including current debates on poverty and development, the proper role and response of the church to urban, inner-city realities, Liberation Theologies for today’s world, and evangelical reflection on social action and political involvement. It seeks to expose the students to poverty and poverty-alleviation efforts on the front lines of urban centers.
PROFESSOR: Dr. Charles Barber
Organizational leadership has radically shifted from centralized control models to decentralized and organic approaches led by leaders who, at their best, align by vision and values and use these vision and values as the map for culture-building growth and success. As the pace of change accelerates through technology and an ever-increasing transparency, world leaders must choose innovation and entrepreneurship as a personal pursuit and reflect is as the core of their organization’s internal culture. Topics in this course include vision/values formation as the organizational foundation and leadership strategy, values-based decision-making, systems, team formation, accountability and resulting change, leadership vs. management skill set development, and multiple assessments of organizational success. This course will also examine carefully the optimal role and development of communication styles (including the use of technology) and service to multiple stakeholders in geographically dispersed organizations.
PROFESSOR: Dr. Charles Barber
This course begins with an introduction to managerial marketing concepts, strategies, and tactics then moves to advanced topics involving cross-cultural marketing, regional pricing strategies, ethical marketing practices, and integrated customer service. This course surveys the traditional Four P’s (product, price, promotion, and place) of marketing with an understanding of the basics of market research, market analytics, consumer behavior and influencers, and changing demographics. Students learn traditional models of marketing “mix” decisions, i.e. product design, branding, packaging, labeling, pricing, distribution, and channels of advertising and communications. Additional topics include pricing models; services, product and brand marketing; customer identification, segmentation, differentiation and targeting; customer relationship management; customer value models and value chains. Student will explore new marketing models and emerging topics such as social networking, viral marketing, internet web interfacing and tactics such as Pay per Click (PPC) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). All of these topics will be interwoven with a biblical perspective on truth and the challenge in many competitive marketing environments for a socially responsible organization to be authentic in every aspect of its culture, products and message.
PROFESSOR: Yvonne McKenzie
PROFESSOR: Dr. Kit Danley
This course will examine the benefits of ABCD and AI as contrasted with a deficit-based approach to community transformation. Students will examine the concepts of the abundant community based on the work of McKnight and Block and others, as well as define and execute ABCD/AI projects in their own communities (should be taken second in the series).
PROFESSOR: Dr. Maria Pompea
This course examines the core aspects of generative, relationally-based community development, as well as the unique vision and leadership strengths women bring to the community advocacy table. Focusing on the theology and sociology of community building, the importance of holistic and multi-cultural community, in addition to the life-affirming elements of culture care, this class will address the complexities relative to constructing cohesive communities, including any constraints potentially encountered within the global urban context.
SPRING April 1 to June 2, 2019
PROFESSOR: Dr. Jeremy Graves
The course will focus on introducing the student to the emerging field of study of organizational transformation and its application to the challenges and opportunities facing today’s global and urban ministry leader. Specific attention will be given to the factors that need to be taken into consideration in initiating, managing and sustaining needed transformational change within an urban ministry organization, particularly as it relates to the role that leadership and organizational culture plays in this process.
PROFESSORS: Drs. Yvonne McKenzie
Students will assess their readiness and next steps to be transformational leaders in their organizations, city or internal/external cultures where they have influence. Students will work to express their calling based upon current opportunities as well as their life narrative. Students will assess natural giftedness as evidenced in their life stories; spiritual gifts as evidenced in their ministries; as well as issues in their life that will limit their relational and missional abilities. This course includes a special emphasis on spiritual formation practices and principles connected to God’s wiring in their life and context. This course provides the personal focus and framework for the student to design the rest of the MAGUL degree to develop specific steps for mentoring, skill development, and research to build upon their strengths and opportunities and shore up weaknesses.
PROFESSOR: Dr. Lester Hirst
Cross-cultural understanding is essential to building relationships and leading organizations in the 21st century. This fast-paced course will address fundamental concepts of cross-cultural studies from a Christian perspective. It will address worldview, contextualization, communication and cross-cultural conflict, with particular emphasis on cross-cultural ministry and business. Students will be challenged to consider ways to engage cross-culturally within their own communities, considering issues such as human trafficking, poverty, business as mission and more. Going beyond theory, students will engage in practical cross-cultural exposure and development of key cross-cultural, listening, interpretation, and communication skills.
PROFESSOR: Dr. Larry Peabody
In order to integrate wholeness in work, life, relationships and social impact, students need a core understanding of the purpose of work, their own unique calling and the meaning of human dignity. Every BGU degree starts with this course in various forms. This course explores the meaning and ministry of work, which engages people for most of their waking hours. The approach taken is biblical – surveying the meaning of work in God’s revealed purpose; contextual – understanding how world-views and specific cultures affect one’s work ethic and provide both points of content and a prophetic challenge; integrative – exploring how work is related to ministry, calling, mission and the phenomenon of globalization; and theological – undertaking the understanding of, and practice of work in the light of the timeless Word of God and the contemporary situation. Having a solid theology of work is an essential foundation for leaders building organizations that impact social needs while seeking integration in their lives and relationships.
Professor: Dr. Claire Henry
This course is an international trip focusing on core elements of cross-cultural experience and interpretation. This urban immersion provides students with an international learning experience taught by BGU faculty and guest lecturers. The specific locations change from year to year but are all designed to provide a different approach to the subject of the post-colonial realities of the Church, mission, and business in the world, acknowledging that 80% of the world's Christians do not live in North America or Western Europe. This course also explores theological issues unique to the host context and exposes students in that context to host theologians and practitioners.
Business students: A business project proposal must be submitted and approved by the MBA Director and the professor of record prior to attending the class. This course may be taken at any time during the business degree program and the student may elect to take the course for 3-credits or 6-credits.
PROFESSOR: Dr. Claire Henry
This course is designed to give insight into programmatic methods used to identify underlying factors that impact inequities specific to health and the economic well-being of women. The research literature will be assessed to better understand the dynamics of transformational leadership practices that inform data collection processes, program design, methodology, mobilization, and implementation strategies that empower women that lead program development initiatives.
SUMMER July 8 to September 9, 2019
PROFESSORS: Drs. Yvonne McKenzie
Students will assess their readiness and next steps to be transformational leaders in their organizations, city or internal/external cultures where they have influence. Students will work to express their calling based upon current opportunities as well as their life narrative. Students will assess natural giftedness as evidenced in their life stories; spiritual gifts as evidenced in their ministries; as well as issues in their life that will limit their relational and missional abilities. This course includes a special emphasis on spiritual formation practices and principles connected to God’s wiring in their life and context. This course provides the personal focus and framework for the student to design the rest of the MAGUL degree to develop specific steps for mentoring, skill development, and research to build upon their strengths and opportunities and shore up weaknesses.
PROFESSOR: Dr. Claire Henry
This course focuses on the person of the leader and explores the paradoxical concept of servant leadership, modeled by Jesus, within the broader context of the abundance of leadership theories, in order to gain a clearer understanding of one’s true vocation, how one best leads, and the ability to lead oneself in an increasingly multi-cultural and complex world.
PROFESSOR: Dr. Brad Smith
This course is designed to help students infuse the perspective, values and prayerfulness of a transformational leader into every aspect of resourcing their ministries and businesses. The end goal is clarity of perspective, practical skills, and concrete steps toward their goals during the class. In this course you will learn a theology of fundraising; how to express the story of your vision and mission in a way that connects to people's minds and hearts; how to identify new sources of donation and fee income, and how to develop local sources of funding to decrease dependence upon cross-cultural sources. Practical outcomes will include a personal/ organizational blog with social media coaching; a case for support document and a draft fundraising/resourcing plan for your organization.
PROFESSOR: Rev. Dr. Wayne Weathers
This course is a general introduction that investigates current thinking about globalization and the confluence of Christian families around the world. The course will engage the student in broad-based studies on culturally-diverse Christian family values, sexuality, economics, social policy and other influences in the context of globalization. The student will examine implications on the Christian church as families face the demands of modernity.
PROFESSOR: Dr. Doug Barnett
In vision/values organizations the tools of operational systems and project management become the way teams translate vision and values into reality. Starting with strategic planning as a tool for team alignment, vision expansion, and communication, this course demonstrates how strategic plans are translated into the two core implementation arenas of operations and project management. Operations topics include workflow management, capacity and location planning, and team leadership with an emphasis on a “lean management‟ to streamline all core operational processes and maximize effective decision-making by front-line workers. Students will learn the skills of navigating organizational influences on their project as they define the three “P’s” of project management (purpose, process, and people). Project management topics include: developing and defining the charter, scope, and activities essential to the success of the project; resource allocation (time, money, skill, people, and infrastructure) through Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Compatibility Maturity Models (CMM) to develop and monitor schedules, costs, and budgets; establish optimal communications technologies strategies and techniques to address accountability and problem-solving; and identifying, quantifying, and minimizing emerging business risk in local and international market environments. During the course, students will actively implement the skills in this course through a practical project within their current organization.
PROFESSOR: Dr. Wayne Smith
Building upon MBA 503 and 505, this course moves to a more in-depth study of accounting topics including: interrelationships between various accounting reports; revenue recognition; accounts receivables write off methods; accounting for inventory and fixed assets, liabilities and leases; short and long-term investments; consolidation and foreign currency transactions. Finance topics include ratio analysis; leveraging through debt or equity; cost frameworks, risk management; valuing financial assets; portfolio statistics; financial modeling and sustainability analysis. The course will give students basic skills in reading, understanding, constructing, and using an array of corporate financial statements. Most importantly, students will learn how to utilize these financial statements to evaluate business strategies and outcomes; account for and manage costs; and raise investment, equity and donation resources. Interwoven with these topics will be risk-management principles and techniques, including the use of bankruptcy, insurance, and the exercise of creditor’s rights on local and international contexts as financial tools in the marketplace. Overarching this course is the biblical topic of stewardship measurement, the direct correlation between decentralized decision-making and effective financial reporting, and the human dignity that comes from authority and responsibility that is properly aligned with metrics and accountability.
AUTUMN October 7 to December 9, 2019
PROFESSOR: Dr. Jeremy Graves
Students will assess the degree to which their institution/organization/role has the potential for contribution to civic transformation. Student will work to propose the adjustments necessary to more effectively align it with this goal. This course should include: appraisal of vision and mission statements, assessment of the unique contribution of the institution, discernment of contextual issues in their city that merit enhancing the capacity of their organization, and familiarity with current assessment tools. This course provides the contextual focus and pragmatic framework for the rest of the DTL degree, as well as benchmarking by which change will be measured.
PROFESSOR: Dr. Yvonne McKenzie
Students will assess their readiness and next steps to be transformational leaders in their organizations, city or internal/external cultures where they have influence. Students will work to express their calling based upon current opportunities as well as their life narrative. Students will assess natural giftedness as evidenced in their life stories; spiritual gifts as evidenced in their ministries; as well as issues in their life that will limit their relational and missional abilities. This course includes a special emphasis on spiritual formation practices and principles connected to God’s wiring in their life and context. This course provides the personal focus and framework for the student to design the rest of the MAGUL degree to develop specific steps for mentoring, skill development, and research to build upon their strengths and opportunities and shore up weaknesses.
PROFESSOR: Rev. Dr. Wayne Weathers
This course expands beyond Western Church history and also allows students to track their own theological and ecclesial histories. The students will gain insight from the lives of Christian leaders throughout history, who have been instrumental in transformative change.
PROFESSOR: Dr. Larry Peabody
In order to integrate wholeness in work, life, relationships and social impact, students need a core understanding of the purpose of work, their own unique calling and the meaning of human dignity. Every BGU degree starts with this course in various forms. This course explores the meaning and ministry of work, which engages people for most of their waking hours. The approach taken is biblical – surveying the meaning of work in God’s revealed purpose; contextual – understanding how world-views and specific cultures affect one’s work ethic and provide both points of content and a prophetic challenge; integrative – exploring how work is related to ministry, calling, mission and the phenomenon of globalization; and theological – undertaking the understanding of, and practice of work in the light of the timeless Word of God and the contemporary situation. Having a solid theology of work is an essential foundation for leaders building organizations that impact social needs while seeking integration in their lives and relationships.
PROFESSOR: Dr. Paulette Jordan
What is traditionally taught as Human Resources elsewhere is taught at BGU as Human Relationships. God created humans to work through their giftedness within the context of healthy personal and institutional relationships. Leaders are responsible to build organizations that do this well, which should result in maximizing organizational goals. This course helps students understand the various types of systems needed for healthy people development and work environments to take place in any marketplace organization or ministry, regardless of the urban arena. Students will learn skills that infuse relational health, empowerment, dignity and transformation into what are often people-insensitive HR activities. Students will gain hands-on experience in key skill areas of labor and employee relations, clear metrics, adequate training, recruitment, hiring, performance management, development and retention/separation of service. Among other models, this course will explore the global paradigm-changing Joy at Work approach pioneered by Dennis Bakke that decentralizes these tasks to front-line work teams around the world, in international and local contexts.
PROFESSORS: Drs. Christian and Pezzutti
Legal systems should connect to morality. Morality should flow from spiritual truths that form the basis of the connectivity between human dignity, justice, and redemption. Yet these vital connections are increasingly being lost in post-modern societies. This course prepares students to understand how to restore these connections in their own and life and work in order to center their leadership compass on spiritual discernment and biblically-informed personal ethics. From this vantage point, this course helps students navigate national, regional and global legal systems -- to work realistically within them, to model truth-seeking, justice, and universal, inclusive development beyond them as appropriate and to transform them holistically, when possible. This course systematically addresses the dominant national and international legal systems and areas of law that make up the legal environment of business, with special emphasis on contracts, agency, torts, corporate forms and governance, immigration and trafficking, taxation, intellectual property, and bankruptcy. The course will also seek to convey the dynamics of the law, as well as future trends and their implications, with special emphasis on cross-cultural business contexts. This course also examines the growing chronic failure of corporate character development and ethical behavior globally, by examining the pervasive, pandemic of global corruption in business and government, through recent corporate scandals and misguided practices. Students will learn about the difference between biblically grounded ethics and the variety of cross-cultural definitions of situational ethics, and will examine various statements of ethical values and codes from international, national, corporate, and professional organizations, including corporate social responsibility paradigms. Students will develop a series of immediate practical applications of the various topics in this course to their current and prospective work situations with the goal to form life-changing, spiritually-centered, ethical decision-making habits, personally and organizationally.
PROFESSOR: Drs. Bryan McCabe & Wayne Weathers
This course is designed to expose the participant to the principles and practices of transformational leadership in the new global city. Course will cover characteristics and skill sets of the transformational leader, as well as the practices of various transformational ministries in a context of concentrated poverty. The role of collaboration and civic networking will be explored, as well as the themes of transformational business, conceptual and strategic approaches to cities, theological foundations for incarnational leadership and other components of Christian community development. The course contains many experiential features, as well as more traditional academic pedagogies to help participant application in their own context.
PROFESSOR: Dr. Claire Henry
The course will examine the attributions, accomplishments and challenges of mentoring women in the professions with a view to identifying theories and proposing a research agenda for mentoring women and girls in a variety of contexts.
Please contact Dr. Yvonne McKenzie to set up an appointment for assistance in planning out your classes for the next few years.
